Use Of Sniffer Dogs At Music Festivals To Be Reviewed In New Vic Drug Report

A review on the use of sniffer dogs at music festivals is expected to be included in a report delivered by the joint house committee in Victorian parliament today. 

As Herald Sun reports, more than 50 recommendations are believed to be included in the parliamentary report which could see some significant reforms to the state's stance on drugs. 

As well as a review of the harms and benefits sniffer dogs at music festivals has, other recommendations are believed to include drug-driving laws being changed to include more drugs and police not charging people caught with small quantities of drugs, but instead referring them to drug rehabilitation. 

The report comes after a proposal from Vote Reason MP, Fiona Patten, which saw the committee receive over 200 submissions and hear evidence from Victoria Police and the Australian Medical Association. 

Calls to cease using sniffer dogs at music festivals have been raised several times in the past. In 2015, Greens member of Newtown, Jenny Leong, put forward a bill to stop using drug sniffer dogs at festivals, bars and clubs in New South Wales. 

The bill received support from Australian musicians Paul Mac and Art vs Science's Dan McNamee.

"The fear it creates actually harms people," McNamee said.

"The young people at music festivals in the last few years who have died because the fear that was created in them by this program catalysed the tragic decision to consume all of their drugs at once before entering the festival.

"Some listening may have little sympathy for these people…but I ask you, please put yourself in their family's position, put yourself in their friends position, when I tell you that their friends could have been saved if we had a drug policy which used love instead of fear…and that they would have been alive today had we treated them with respect instead of trying to force them not to take drugs."